For the Sake of All is a multi-disciplinary project on the health and well-being of African Americans in St. Louis. The first phase of the project culminated in May, 2014 with the release of a final report at a community conference. The second phase will focus on engagement of the community, business leaders, and policy makers in order to mobilize support for implementation of recommendations made in the initial phase of the work. The recommendations are 1) investing in quality early childhood development, 2) creating economic opportunities for low-to-moderate income families, 3) investing in coordinated school health, 4) investing in mental health awareness, access, and surveillance, 5) investing in health-promoting neighborhoods, 6) enhance chronic and infectious disease prevention and management.

Ferguson: America’s Arab Spring

Social Media and the Civil Rights Movement

The Ferguson Special Report features stories that highlight the impact following the events surrounding the death of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, nearly 2 years ago.  The report portrays the role that history, social media, and reform have played in our region.  Ultimately, it “tells the story of how the unprecedented outpouring of social media dominated the Ferguson narrative and organized activists into a new civil rights movement and new reform efforts.”

For the Sake of All is featured in the “Reformers” section and highlights the For the Sake of All 2014 report which “tied health disparities to social determinants such as education, quality of neighborhoods, and economic status.”  The interview with Dr. Jason Purnell, For the Sake of All Project Lead, depicts a city wrought with health disparities that are rooted along racial lines.  Throughout the interview, Dr. Purnell outlines strategies to help alleviate disparities such as opening school-based health clinics and institutionalizing child development accounts in the region.  He also reflects on the lack of a collaborative culture that has historically prevented progress in our region.

According to Dr. Purnell, “St. Louis needs the civic infrastructure for a deliberative reform process.  This is how he describes that process: Collect the data and research evidence, identify best practices used in other places, make recommendations, implement programs that use best practices, evaluate and track the data that comes out of the reform strategy and start all over again.”

To read the full remarks click here.

To view the Ferguson Special Report click here.

 

Short Distances to Long Gaps in Health: Babies born just miles apart in St. Louis face up to 12 year difference in life expectancy

A North St. Louis County life expectancy map released today (August 3) by researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Center on Society and Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) illustrates that opportunities to lead a long and  healthy life can vary dramatically by neighborhood. If you travel less than 11 miles north from Jennings to Old Jamestown, life expectancy can differ by as much as 12 years. View the map one-pager here.

In VCU’s press release, For the Sake of All was identified as one of four organizational efforts underway in St. Louis to address the many factors that shape health and contribute to life expectancy. Click here to download the For the Sake of All Discussion Guide & Action Toolkit on Investing in quality neighborhoods for all in St. Louis. These brief and accessible publications will give you:

• A background on the history and impact of segregation in St. Louis
• Evidence-based strategies for promoting healthy neighborhoods
• Discussion questions you can use when talking with your friends & and colleagues about creating quality neighborhoods
• Action steps you can take to educate yourself, get involved, and advocate for healthy neighborhoods for all

Enhancing chronic and infectious disease prevention and management in St. Louis

The Discussion Guide and Action Toolkit on the recommendation to “coordinate and expand chronic and infectious disease prevention and management” have been published. Click here to access the guide and toolkit.

 

 

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Summary available from Evidence in Action: Next Steps, Part II

In February 2016, For the Sake of All, Forward through Ferguson, the Institute for Public Health, and the BJC Center for Clinical Excellence convened 100 stakeholders for “Evidence in Action: Next Steps For the Sake of All, Part II.” View summary here.

Investing in mental health and substance use awareness, screening, treatment, and surveillance

The Discussion Guide and Action Toolkit on the recommendation to “invest in mental health and substance use awareness, screening, treatment, and surveillance” have been published.
Click here to access the guide and toolkit.

 

 

 

 

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“Financial Health is Public Health”: New book features essay by Jason Purnell

The essay can be found in What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Future of Families, Communities and the Nation, a new book on the financial health of our nation published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Corporation for Enterprise Development.

“In these and many other ways, the inextricable, often stress-laden link between financial well-being and physical and mental health must become the centerpiece of public understanding and public policy. Both our economic health as a nation and the very lives of the American people depend on it,” Purnell writes.

Click below for more information.

“Financial Health is Public Health” article

Washington University in St. Louis’s press release about the article

Order a free copy of What It’s Worth or download now!

Investing in quality neighborhoods in St. Louis

The Discussion Guide and Action Toolkit on the recommendation to “invest in quality neighborhoods in St. Louis” have been published.
Click here to access the guide and toolkit.